6/11/14

"T-Shirt into a Dress" {the Frozen Edition}

If you have a little girl, you know the popularity of the movie "Frozen". I feel like that ballad "Let it Go" has become the official theme song for 2014. Seriously, I can't get that song out of my head. If you have tried to purchase anything 'Frozen-related' in the past few months, you know it is virtually impossible. Disney must have all that Frozen merchandise locked up in their movie vault!

So when I found out my sweet little niece is a huge 'Olaf' fan, I wanted to buy her something cute and Olaf-y from the Disney store for her birthday. Buuuuuuut no such luck. I think the manager at the Disney store actually laughed when I told her what I was looking for.

I bought the only 'Olaf' tshirt I could find and decided to turn it into a cute dress. If Disney wouldn't sell me a fun knit Frozen dress, I would just have to make it myself :)

Want to turn an oversized t-shirt into a dress like I did? Here's what you will need.
-Large t-shirt (this is a size 7/8 and I made it into a 2/3t dress)
-Ribbon
-Ruffle
-Elastic
-Sewing machine
-Sewing scissors

Step 1: Cut off the sleeves, just inside the the seam. I used my rotary cutter on a mat, but you can use scissors. Since knit doesn't fray you can leave it as is after cutting- yay!

2. Cut off the top of your shirt. I cut just above the collar. The bit of collar left won't show, so don't worry about it.

3. Fold down the front of the shirt and pin both sides in about 3/4".

4. Sew a straight stitch to create 'tube' or casing for your elastic. I used hot pink thread to match the ruffle that I will add at the end.

5. Now thread through your elastic. My elastic is less than .5 inch wide and 16 inches long. This will form the neck of the dress. (You want it big enough to pull over her head, but not so big that the dress falls off her shoulders.) Run the elastic through both the front and back of the dress, then overlap the ends of the elastic and sew together.

6. Overlap the shirt to cover the elastic and sew closed on top of BOTH shoulders.

7. Now you can add a ribbon and be done! I didn't sew on my ribbon because I wanted her mom to be able to remove it for washing or if it annoyed my niece. Some kids like a bow on the shoulder, some don't :) This chevron ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

8. Optional-- add a ruffle! You can buy premade ruffle or make your own. I cut off a strip of hot pink knit from a Hobby Lobby XL tshirt. Then I ran it through my machine to create a ruffle. (See how I like to make a ruffle by clicking here.)

9. Sew on the ruffle. Then 'top stitch' to keep the ruffle from flipping up (and it adds a little design detail). The contrast stitching at the neck matches the stitching I did at the bottom.

And there you have it! A plain t-shirt transformed into a cute dress. This tutorial is perfect for all those boxy shirts you have stuffed in drawers. Just in time for summer camp and VBS shirts too!

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Welcome to Crafty Texas Girls

Hello! I am Samantha Conner. I am a stay-at-home mom turned Crafty Girl. I am the writer of "Crafty Texas Girls". I have a passion for writing, designing and creating. I am determined to make life more fabulous with ruffles, chandeliers and hot glue! Join me in my adventures in creativity and family.

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I want you to use and copy my ideas, but ask that you credit my site and add a direct link to my blog if you try one of my projects. All photos and text on this blog are copyright protected. You may not copy entire articles or posts (even with a link) without my express written permission. Email any requests or links used to craftytexasgirls@gmail.com. Thank you so much for reading!